Following the 2016 election, the entirety of the nation became conscious of its polarization. According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research*, polarization has increased among Americans since 1990. The study observes, however, that in eight of the nine measures of polarization, older individuals (70+ age group) show higher rates of increase in polarization than other age groups. This age group also utilizes social media less than other age-groups. Could it be that social media is not the root cause of polarization?
In order to explore this further, we looked at polarization through talk radio, which is commonly thought to have political influence.
Following the 2016 election, the entirety of the nation became conscious of its polarization. According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research*, polarization has increased among Americans since 1990. The study observes, however, that in eight of the nine measures of polarization, older individuals (70+ age group) show higher rates of increase in polarization than other age groups. This age group also utilizes social media less than other age-groups. Could it be that social media is not the root cause of polarization?
In order to explore this further, we looked at polarization through talk radio, which is commonly thought to have political influence.